1. Software Configuration Management n Art of coordinating SW development to minimize confusion n Software quality assurance (umbrella) activity n Set of tracking and control activities beginning to end

2. Why Software Configuration Mgmt?  Change increases confusion  CM necessary when a software system has  Many developers  Many versions  CM aims to control the costs and effort involved in making changes to a system

3. Software Configuration Mgmt Activities n Identifying change n Controlling change n Ensuring change is properly implemented n Reporting changes to interested others

4. Identifying Changes: Origin of changes n New business or market conditions n New customer needs n Reorganization or business growth/downsizing n Budgetary or scheduling constraints n Most changes are justified

5. Identifying Changes n SW Configuration Items (SCIs) are identified  Document, suite of test cases, program component, software tools  Identify relationships among SCIs (part-of, interrelated, dependencies)

6. Configuration Items

7. Repository Content

8. Baselines n Concept that helps us control change without seriously impeding justifiable change n Before baseline: changes made quickly and informally n Once baseline established: changes can be made, but a formal procedure must be applied to evaluate and verify each change

9. Baselined SCIs

10. Controlling Changes n Version control  manage many existing versions of SCIs  Use evolution graph or object pool representation

11. Change Control Process Distribute the new version

12. Controlling Changes  before and after release  Authority (access control and synchronization control)  Change requests submitted and evaluated  Change report (results of evaluation)  Change order (for approved change)  Check out SCI, make change, apply SQA activities  Check in SCI to database and version control mechanisms  Before baseline, informal change control  Once baseline est. project level change control  After release, formal change control

13. Ensure change properly implemented n aka Configuration auditing Formal technical reviews Software configuration audit –Change made? Additional modifications? –Formal technical review conducted? –Software process followed/standards applied? –Change “highlighted” in SCI? change date/author noted? –SCM procedures followed? –Related SCIs updated?

14. Reporting Changes  What happened?  Who did it?  When?  What else will be affected?  Keep management and practitioners appraised of important changes.